AANMC Executive Director Dr. JoAnn Yanez shares her perspective on the definition of naturopathic medicine.
"So often through the course of my career as a naturopathic physician, I have been asked the definition
of naturopathic medicine. Whether it has been by well-meaning family members, taxi cab drivers, legislative or regulatory bodies, corporations or patients, a common thread for some
has been the lack of awareness for what NDs really do. I don’t see that as a negative, it just means the profession as a whole needs to do a better job at raising public awareness, and in clearing up existing misperceptions. Folks may confuse naturopathic
medicine for homeopathy, or not understand that our training is akin to conventional medical school in many aspects, with the addition that NDs become experts in evidence-based integrative and natural medicine."